The Survivors: Brandon Flowers

Whether with the Killers, his simultaneously trashy and transcendent band that lights up like a casino shooting a beam into space, or as a solo artist, Brandon Flowers is arena rock’s sexiest walking contradiction—a Mormon with a hooker’s heart of gold who wants to show you heaven and Las Vegas. And in an era of singer-songwriters who bare their souls with self-conscious restraint, he’s a welcome blast of his old-school heroes: Freddy Mercury, U2, Springsteen, and Morrissey. And the Killers—a band that started out as synthy new wave revivalists and have grown into a stadium-crushing act—have evolved with him. Just Google "The Killers Royal Albert Hall" and you’ll see Flowers spinning and strutting like a peacock, with the epaulette-bound feathers to match. We chatted with the frontman about his stage demeanor, his band’s next project, and some of his, let’s say, curious fashion choices.

GQ: You’re only 30, which is young for a package on music survivors. But your band, The Killers, has already been through a few phases in its 10 years. What were your expectations when you started in 2001?

Brandon Flowers: There was this whole garage rock movement revival and then this post-punk revival thing and you knew something was kinda happening. There were a lot of bands that shared the same influences as we did and it was a perfect time for us. People were open to hearing what we were doing. We were really lucky. We were the last ones to get our foot in the door [before the music industry started to fall apart.]

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Some people talk about how we’ve changed a lot, and that’s definitely not something we set out to do. But we’re always searching. I’ve struggled with an identity sometimes; I don’t know what exactly I am. I love so many types of music and I don’t want to commit to going down one road. The band is still trying to figure that out and maybe that’s what has kept things fresh for people.

GQ: You’re still committed to doing big live shows—that’s rare these days. Who inspired you growing up?

Brandon Flowers: It was a combination of going to concerts and watching concert DVDs of great bands and things from Las Vegas. Some people think what we do is weird or contrived. But I remember when I paid my $20 to go see Morrissey, I wanted him to be a show. I didn’t want him to just stand there. I take that into consideration. Sometimes I really am physically involved in the music, it comes out in those manifestations [laughs]. I can’t help but move that way.

GQ: Were you the sort of kid who performed in front of the mirror?

Brandon Flowers: I definitely mimicked people who I loved, but I really never thought that I would ever be on stage. It happened really so fast. This is my first band!

GQ: Was there a moment when you felt like it had settled in and this was going to be a life for you?

Brandon Flowers: I think it was the success of "Mr. Brightside." I was moved by that song in the same way I would be listening to someone else’s music that I liked.

GQ: Did you have a backup plan if the band wasn’t successful?

Brandon Flowers: When we got our record deal, I worked at the Gold Coast, a hotel off the strip, and I loved that. I love working in restaurants and working for tips in Las Vegas. I didn’t go to college, so that was what I was hoping for. Once the band hit the road, it just kept snowballing and we didn’t take any time off after the Hot Fuss tour. We went straight into the studio to work on the next album. I suddenly didn’t have a normal life, but I was so excited about the prospect of writing great music that it kept me going. It still keeps me going.

Some people think what we do is weird or contrived. But I remember when I paid my $20 to go see Morrissey, I wanted him to be a show. I didn’t want him to just stand there.

GQ: So there you were, a young, handsome rock star who also happened to be married and Mormon. Was that weird for you?

Brandon Flowers: Being Mormon was all that I knew when we started, so it wasn’t strange to me. But the other bands coming up, like the Libertines and the Strokes, had a completely different image, and there was a push for us to be that way. I was young and trying to figure it all out, and I see how that created a couple of headlines. [laughs] The Church is still confusing for people who don’t understand it, and I don’t mind explaining it. It also sets me apart from other people, which might be a good thing. I’m raising my family in The Church, and I’m proud of that. I was able to come out on the other side and make this all work, and I’m really... happy.

GQ: What’s it like coming off a solo tour and getting back to working with the band?

Brandon Flowers: It was a nice breath of fresh air doing the solo thing, but going back with the other dudes, it’s been great, everyone is happy! It allowed the guys a break and they’re re-energized and ready to go, so any of that tension that was created by all that touring is relieved now. People are smiling at the studio and it’s been good so far!

Brandon Flowers: I guess I learned that I really love to sing. I wasn’t the greatest when we first started and I’ve taken some lessons. The songs on my solo record are not the easiest to sing and they’re melodic—more in the singer-songwriter vein—but they were really fun to sing. It was something I grew to love every night and it wasn’t so much about the bombast I had with The Killers. Hopefully I can take some of that into the next tour.

GQ: What have you been listening to in preparing the new record?

Brandon Flowers: I’m awful! I got this car, and it doesn’t have a CD player! I didn’t realize until a week after I got it! I have 200 CDs in the backseat just melting in the sun. So I listen to a lot of classic rock radio stations and there’s a new station that plays an eclectic mix of stuff and they are constantly playing songs I’ve never heard of, like "Eminence Front" by The Who. I’ll listen for a lyric so that I can Google it. Things like that have been exciting.

GQ: You’ve been noted for taking risks with your personal style. Where does that come from?

Brandon Flowers: Confusion! [laughs] I’m searching for something. When we came out, we were wearing suits. My dad didn’t wear stuff like that, but I was into David Bowie. It was a combination of him and the whole Vegas thing of wanting to put on a show. That started and then we began writing rock songs that went down a different road, and, I don’t know, things keep evolving. I keep trying things. I really would be happy to just find one thing and stick with that. I’m getting closer! [laughs] The more I work out and the more I feel comfortable in my own skin, the more simple it becomes and the more comfortable I feel onstage.

GQ: Any fashion regrets?

Brandon Flowers: The mustache—I was never happy with the fullness of it. I was a bit too young. Maybe I’ll bring it back in my mid-thirties.

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